Ideas abound at budget conversations
Concordia’s recent budget conversations generated ideas and suggestions that will help the planning process already underway for the coming fiscal year.
Some 300 people turned out for information sessions that Interim Provost Lisa Ostiguy and Chief Financial Officer Patrick Kelley hosted earlier this month on how to manage the Government of Quebec’s $13.2 million cut in the university’s operating grant for 2012-13.
Ostiguy and Kelley hosted the campus conversations with faculty, staff and students, and met with each of the Faculty Councils, the Libraries, School of Graduate Studies and School of Extended Learning, as well as Senate, to obtain feedback and answer questions.
“I thank everyone who participated in our information sessions, where we heard a lot of interesting suggestions,” says Ostiguy. “Those ideas will be reviewed in the coming weeks to look at their feasibility and see whether they meet our goal of protecting the quality of our programs and services to students and supporting research.”
Feedback from the conversations will be an important part of the budget process for 2013-14.
“As yet, we do not know if the $13.2 million cut in our operating grant will apply to fiscal 2013-14, but in the normal course of our budget preparations, we have to be ready to adjust to a range of possibilities,” says Kelley. “Our community is clearly concerned, but has also demonstrated a high level of commitment to meeting the challenge ahead.”
Further suggestions on solutions to the budget challenge are welcome and can be forwarded to the Office of the Provost at theprovost@concordia.ca.
Related links:
• “Budget conversations provide helpful input” — NOW, January 16, 2013
• “Concordia invites input on budget reductions” — NOW, January 9, 2013